Time-Honored Tradition
Ever wonder who makes wine barrels and what they're called and how they do it? Next to the grape, wine barrels are the most essential part of the wine making process, so much so that the barrel is often referred to as the winemaker's "spice rack." The making of wine barrels is a fascinating process (with a rather odd name) that is done in a time-honored, ancient tradition.
"Cooperage" is the art of barrel making. "Cooperage" is also the finished product as well as the shop where "coopering" is done and "coopers" are the craftsmen who do it.
"Cooperage" is the art of barrel making. "Cooperage" is also the finished product as well as the shop where "coopering" is done and "coopers" are the craftsmen who do it.
The Art of Winemaking
French Cooperage
History
The cooperage industry dates back more than 2,000 years to the Gauls who used barrels to store and ship all kinds of things from food to gold coins and other dry goods. Today, barrels are primarily used for the aging of wine and other spirits. It was the French who perfected the craft of barrel making into an art form.Today, coopers prefer to make cooperage out of French oak, although this preference does not date back very far as good French oak was not available until the early 1900s. Prior to that time, French wineries used Eastern European oak to age their wine, primarily from Bosnia, Russia, Romania, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
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Wood Selection
The wood for the barrels is carefully selected with special attention paid to tree shape and growing conditions as these factors will determine the textural variety of wood fibers, the fineness of grain and tannin content.Logs are hand-split, cut into "staves," then planed, aged and purged of impurities. They are stored in tiers where they are aged naturally by exposure to air and weather. This process takes several years. The staves are then shaped into a bulging cylinder held in place by six to eight metal hoops. These hoops are usually galvanized metal on wine barrels or steel on whiskey barrels. Most barrels weigh between 125 to 140 lbs. when empty.
Parts of a Barrel
Sizes
Since barrels are handcrafted, actual dimensions vary from barrel to barrel. The Bordeaux Barrel and the Burgundy Barrel are the most common sizes, with Bordeaux Barrels having a 21.5 inch diameter barrel head and the Burgundy Barrel head having an approximately 23 inch diameter barrel head. The Coopering Process
Coopering begins with "mis en rose" ("raising the barrel") where the staves are assembled inside the hoops, and ends with "toasting" (charring) the inside of the cooperage with a light, medium, or heavy "toast" (depending upon which kind of wine will be stored in it).
A cooper who makes water-tight cooperage is called a "tight cooper."
The Cooperage Business
If you're thinking about changing careers and opeing up a cooperage, bu advised, starting a cooperage today would be difficult. Many cooperages are family owned and have been passed down through generations.
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RenaissanceWoman2010
Feb 28, 2012 @ 6:23 pm | delete
- I didn't realize how much cooperage is a fine art. Quite fascinating. Gives me a whole new appreciation for the coopers who have such an impact on the aging of fine wines and other spirits. Thank you for another exceptional learning process and excellent article.
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RCGraphicsDesign
Feb 24, 2012 @ 9:59 pm | delete
- What a really informative lens oxfordian. I visited many of the wineries in Napa Valley and this was a wonderful addition to the tours there. Thanks for a wonderful lens.
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WordCustard
Jan 20, 2012 @ 4:06 am | delete
- Coopering is quite an art! I always wondered how they could form substantial pieces of wood into that perfectly curved barrel.
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WordCustard
Jan 20, 2012 @ 4:06 am | delete
- Coopering is quite an art! I always wondered how they could form substantial pieces of wood into that perfectly curved barrel.
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skeffling
Dec 20, 2011 @ 11:17 pm | delete
- Another great lens Oxfordian! This is so neat to learn!
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